Spinning Babydoll Wool

Spinning Babydoll Wool:

After washing, picking, carding, (and possibly dyeing) the wool, it is next spun into a "single" strand on my spinning wheel. (For those of you who spin, I use the "woolen draw/long draw" method and specifically, what Judith MacKenzie McCuin describes as the "Attenuated Long Draw" in her wonderful book, The Intentional Spinner:  A Holistic Approach to Making Yarn.)

HOWEVER, this is certainly NOT the only way to spin Babydoll wool. I am an adamant believer that there are probably as many ways to spin as there are spinners.

A Side Note:

I came to this approach by it simply evolving over time. I didn't have lessons and had never even seen a person spin when I started "playing" with spinning. This technique just seemed to work and it felt natural for me when working with this wool. After reading the book, I finally was able to put a name to my technique. So just do what seems to work between you and the fiber, and have FUN!

Another thing to ponder: When you examine "Art Yarns" or yarns made with "fancy" techniques, it is good to realize that most were once bloopers and mistakes. A "mistake" repeated often, is often classified as a new technique, given a name, and students pay to learn it! So don't ever get discouraged...you may just find a brand new technique along the way.

You will probably feel that your spinning is too thick and too lumpy in the beginning. That is fine...it will make a wonderful pair of socks, scarf or hat! Your spinning will naturally become more uniform and thinner with practice. Soon you'll be able to get whatever results you desire...and sometimes that may be Thick & Lumpy.

Next the singles are plied together, also using the spinning wheel.  So spinning a 2-ply yarn actually involves 3 separate procedures--spinning each of the two singles, then plying them together. 

Then the yarn is wrapped on a niddy-noddy, which helps with measuring how long the yarn is, and also creates the skein.  This is tied in 4 places to keep the yarn organized after it is taken off the niddy-noddy. Then I soak the skein and allow it to dry. (Many people like to place a weight on their skeins as they dry, but I feel that causes the yarn to stretch, which may cause distortion in the final piece when it is washed for the first time after knitting, etc. I want the yarn to remain very stable.)